Meaning of the Spring Equinox

This year the spring equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, will occur on March 20, 2015. It begins around 6:45 pm EDT, when the Sun will cross over the Earth’s axis in the Northern Hemisphere. The season changes occur due to the 23.4-degree tilt of the Earth’s axis, which causes the length of day and night to be the same in the earth’s annual cycle around the sun.

Many different regions believe in the spiritual significance of the spring equinox and practice their beliefs with spring equinox traditions. Some believe that the spring equinox symbolizes the New Year and depicts the ongoing battle between light and dark forces, while also representing the cycles of death and resurrection of the world’s deities, like the sun. Through the opposing light and dark forces of the spring equinox sun, self-realization can be reached and questions of immortality are put into place in many religions.

During this equinox, the sun symbolically dies and is resurrected, demonstrating eternal life to people of many religions. The sun’s light represents features such as immortality, enlightenment, self-realization, salvation, and awakening. To Christians, the spring equinox coincides with Easter celebrations, the time for spiritual resurrection. Predating Christianity, other religions such as those from ancient Egypt celebrated the equinox as a resurrection of the sun god, Osiris; the Mayan Maize God Hun Hunahpu served a similar function in South America and was also celebrated at the spring equinox.

Monuments were made by ancient societies to commemorate this important time of year, such as The Great Sphinx of Giza, which symbolizes resurrection by facing the equinox sun directly.

The Great Sphinx of Giza

The temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia also aligns with the equinox and symbolizes the contrasting light and dark forces. At this temple, there is a giant mural of a churning, milky ocean that shows a tug of war between demons and angels who holds serpents. With each tug, the mountain rotates and simultaneously the ocean is activated. The process represents the key principles of the cycles of nature, such as our earth’s axis and the seasonal shifts, as well as the spiritual process of resurrection. The tug of the serpent between the demons and angels symbolizes the movement of the sun into the darker period of year – winter – and its return to the lighter time of year – summer – in an eternal cycle between the two solstices.

Spring Equinox Traditions

Eggs and seeds are used as symbols of the spring equinox that depict new life. Eggs are said to balance on their ends on equinox, according to folklore. Utilized for the promise of new life, eggs are covered with magical symbols in order to represent strength, wisdom, fertility, and protection, and are given as gifts and good luck charms. Seeds also are used in the hope of new life. Urns are filled with grain seeds and when they sprout, red ribbons are tied on them. The urns are sometimes placed on graves during Good Friday, in order to symbolize triumph over death.

The Spring Equinox 2015 is in March 20

With these various spring equinox traditions, the shift in the earth’s axis is a great time to start over and plant new seeds throughout your life. If you are battling your own light and dark forces, it is a time for healing, resurrection, and growth. At Everlasting Footprint, we take pride in celebrating your cultural heritage and recounting your personal experiences during these holidays. So tap into your spiritual energies during the equinox and experience the mysteries the world has to offer.

How do you celebrate spring equinox traditions? Tell us about it. Leave a comment below or send us a message. Everlasting Footprint encourages everyone to celebrate the lives that impacted them.

About Sasha Polissky

Pursuing her BA in English with a minor in business, Sasha Polissky provides administrative and blogging support. Her interests include writing, photography, singing, and guitar, and she speaks English, Russian, and Spanish. She is involved Lady Spirit Hunters, and The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and writes to combine passion and information.
Ms. Polissky’s dedication to Everlasting Footprint stems from the loss of her two grandmothers and grandfather to cancer. She uses her experience with loss to write and connect the Everlasting Footprint community.